AD was an interesting case. No one expected the Pats to go after him and they came out like gangbusters to get him. The expectation was that he was a versatile guy who could get after the quarterback. He had even lined up out at cornerback in Baltimore in Rex’s defense.
He was coming off 11 sacks in 2006 and the Pats were coming off a game where they couldn’t quite get to Peyton Manning in the 2006 AFC Championship.
Things got off to a good start in 2007 Week 2 when he returned a pick six against the Chargers, but as Belichick continued to use him at middle linebacker it seemed like Thomas began to grow disinterested.
He had a good game in the Super Bowl, finally getting after Eli Manning a bit (obviously not quite enough), raising expectations for 2008, but he never emerged as a consistent threat. He suffered an arm injury and was put on IR in early December.
In 2009 everything fell apart. I remember him specifically being a target of Belichick’s after Week 1 in a near-loss to the Bills. All the bad stuff culminated with BB sending him home after Thomas was late to practice due to a snow storm.
Daniel Jermiah used Thomas to describe the difference between a blitzer and a pass rusher.
“We had a player in Baltimore, Adalius Thomas, who is not a pass rusher. He is a blitzer. That’s why he had his most success when Rex Ryan was the defensive coordinator, because he was able to scheme up openings for him, where he could use his explosiveness to shoot through gaps and make plays as a rusher.
“But if you’re going to line him up and put his hand on the ground, or line him up just standing up over a left tackle and expect him to win as a pass rusher, that’s not a skill set he possesses.”
Ultimately I just don’t think Thomas bought into the Patriot way or Belichick as a coach. I think he also didn’t quite have the same fire after getting paid.
He’s the ultimate cautionary tale for those who want their team to go out and spend big money in free agency.
